Inside the cave, the battle was still raging on.
In just a matter of moments, the Golden-Horned King had already unleashed over a dozen different liquids from his bottle, each with a drastically different effect.
Some emitted terrifying heat, others turned to icy mist, and still others transformed into blades of water.
Wielding the bottle was like holding a machine gun—the Golden-Horned King had total dominance, suppressing Qin Ming and the others with overwhelming firepower.
The terrifying offensive capabilities and ever-changing tactics left Qin Ming's group completely unable to get close.
Even when Qin Ming charged in relying on his impervious body, his arm was instantly frozen solid like an ice pop—and shattered on impact.
Seeing the trio trapped in the cave with nowhere to run or break through, the grin on the Golden-Horned King's face grew more twisted and savage.
"Idiots! You might all be reserve candidates, but there's still a gap between us! My talent is something you can't hope to match! With just this White Jade Purity Bottle in my hand, I can wipe you out in seconds... Wait, huh? Where's my bottle?!"
His taunt was cut short by a sudden cry of alarm.
Startled, he turned to look—only to realize that the bottle he had just been gripping tightly was now completely gone.
Before the Golden-Horned King could even process what had happened, a teasing voice rang out from the side.
"Well, well, a dazzling Legendary-grade treasure? It's quite the top-tier item. Shame you can't bring it out of here."
At the sound of the voice, the Golden-Horned King's pupils shrank as he whipped his head around.
To his shock, a woman had somehow appeared by the wall, toying with the White Jade Purity Bottle in her hand as if it were a mere trinket.
Fury erupted in his chest, and he charged at her without hesitation.
"Who the hell are you? Give me back my bottle!"
Beside him, the Silver-Horned King also saw his brother's treasure being stolen and rushed forward to assist.
But mid-charge, when he reached for the Seven-Star Sword on his back—his hand came up empty.
Startled, he turned to look—only to find that the woman who had just been in front of him was now behind him, already unsheathing the Seven-Star Sword!
Instant movement! And with no warning whatsoever!
As the Silver-Horned King stared at her in horror, the adventurer known as Ghostshadow gave him a dazzling smile, casually waving the Seven-Star Sword at him.
"Thanks for the gift."
Buzz!
As she spoke, her figure vanished again—Ghostshadow had teleported once more, reappearing on the far side of the cave and easily dodging the Silver-Horned King's sweeping strike.
Sword in one hand, bottle in the other, Ghostshadow looked at the stunned expressions of the Silver-Horned King, Golden-Horned King, and Qin Ming's group, and casually shrugged.
"I just don't get it—who brings treasures that anyone can use and relies on them as trump cards? Did it never occur to you what might happen if the enemy stole them? Since you don't value these items... I won't be shy about taking them!"
Ghostshadow. A high-ranking adventurer—and a very well-known one.
Her most infamous trait was her terrifying mobility. With the ability to teleport freely, she was like a ghost in battle, leaving her enemies utterly defenseless.
…At least, until she once picked the wrong fight—trying to snatch loot from a top-tier adventurer. That "dying" opponent hit her with a massive AOE skill that nearly blew her to pieces. It was the first time Ghostshadow had ever truly suffered a setback.
Just as the Golden-Horned King could suppress Qin Ming through his treasure's abilities—
Ghostshadow's unique ability happened to be the perfect counter for the Golden-Horned King this time!
[Innate Skill: Phantom Step]
[Effect: Consumes mental energy to teleport instantly. The farther the teleport, the more mental energy is required.]
[Description: Some people always try to compete with me in terms of speed—but the truth is, I never relied on speed.]
Staring at Ghostshadow leisurely swinging the sword on one side, then glancing at the fierce-looking Qin Ming and his team on the other, the Golden-Horned King was genuinely panicking now.
Out of his five treasures, three had already been stolen. The other two? One was locking up Zhu Bajie's group, and the other was used to imprison Sun Wukong—neither could be activated.
In just the blink of an eye, all his trump cards were gone. How could the Golden-Horned King not be terrified?
His expression darkened, and without another word, he suddenly turned to flee—racing to retrieve the Golden Rope.
That was the only treasure that might have a chance against this teleporting menace.
But how could Ghostshadow—someone just as familiar with Journey to the West—not know what the Golden Rope could do?
The reason she hadn't revealed herself earlier was precisely because she was on guard against that item. Only once she confirmed that the rope had already been used and couldn't be summoned against her, did she dare show herself and strike.
Now that she saw the Golden-Horned King trying to run, she didn't hesitate for a second. She charged forward and shouted:
"Kid! One for each of us!"
Hearing her roar and seeing her lunge straight at the Golden-Horned King, Qin Ming's eyes flashed—and without pause, he charged at the Silver-Horned King.
With all three sides equally dangerous, the best plan was clearly to take one out first and reduce the competition.
As for who would win between the remaining two sides? Qin Ming couldn't be sure.
But one thing he knew for certain—once the Golden-Horned King was dead, he wouldn't be the one at the bottom!
What's that? Killing the Gold and Silver Children might provoke the Grand Supreme Elder Lord?
You're an adventurer! A profession where your life hangs on your belt every day! You're afraid of killing someone? Then why are you even an adventurer?!
Forget just provoking the Elder Lord—if it turned out that the guy wasn't all that powerful, Qin Ming might stab him too!
Deal with the consequences later—for now, seize the prize! Becoming a Chosen Candidate was the top priority!
Amid the howling wind, Qin Ming shot forward, turning into a cloud of blood mist. Behind him, Shiranui Mai transformed into a sphere of blood as she unleashed her super move: Ninpo: Swarming Bees.
Kasamoto Eri raised her demonic sword and charged alongside them.
The three struck as one, slamming hard into the Silver-Horned King!
Now empty-handed, with no treasures left to use, the Silver-Horned King had no way to resist. He was driven back again and again, covered in cuts and bruises.
Realizing that the three were actually trying to kill him, and truly feeling the threat of death for the first time, the Silver-Horned King panicked.
He was, after all, just a celestial boy. He had killed people before—but when had he ever been at death's door?
Seeing how bad things were getting, realizing the trio really meant to finish him off, and utterly unable to turn the tide, the Silver-Horned King finally played his last card.
"You can't kill me! I'm the Grand Supreme Elder Lord's personal attendant!"
Pulling rank! Dropping a big name!
This move had always worked, no matter the era.
Faced with the Elder Lord's reputation, whether gods of heaven or demons of the underworld, most would have to show some respect.
The Silver-Horned King's reaction was fast—and his delivery smooth!
Too bad his opponents this time were not the usual crowd.
The Grand Supreme Elder Lord? Even if the Jade Emperor himself showed up, he wouldn't stop Qin Ming from cracking open that loot box!
"Your master is the Grand Supreme Elder Lord? My boss is Nightmare Space! Brothers—get him! Kill him and we bail! Let's get out of here!"
Qin Ming didn't buy his bluff for even a second!
(End of Chapter)